Marina di Ragusa (MdiR)

It's early days yet but our first impressions of Marina di Ragusa is that it is safe, secure and going to be a good choice for the winter. In the past two weeks we've heard thunder, seen lightening, dodged torrential rain, endured gusts well over 40 knots and Flirtie has barely moved. We've even seen our first waterspout!

it's blurred as I was shaking with excitement at the time, sorry!

The staff are friendly and speak excellent English (Bruce is happy because the girls are good looking too) and they are more than happy to receive the post and parcels. Recycling is encouraged with several sets of bins that are emptied daily located opposite the gated entrance. Yacht fouling is reported to be minimal as there are natural springs in the marina basin so with any luck we won't have to employ a diver to remove crustaceans from below the waterline at the start of next season... watch this space.

There are a couple of onsite shops selling gifts and clothes plus a gym, small bakery, lounge bar, beach side restaurant and self-serve laundrette (at €3.50 to wash and €3.50 to dry). The laundrette doubles up as the place to exchange books/DVD's/magazines/manuals etc. Immediately behind the marina is a bike hire shop, a pharmacy and the 'Bar Stella Marina' offering 'happy hour' twice a week.

Shower/toilet facilities are clean albeit a bit of a trek being located to the east and west of the entrance that is accessible by an electronic key fob. In additional there is a night security warden or two.

There's a good size live aboard community developing comprising of all nationalities so naturally we have access to a wealth of experience and knowledgeable cruisers that have come from all corners of the world. Needless to say that we're looking forward to hearing about places that we've yet to explore and catching up with our Lisbon friends, Clare and Vic off 'Njord' who are also wintering here. A daily VHF net is due to start from the first Saturday in October which we look forward to tuning in too.

Marina di Ragusa isn't just a marina per say, it's actually a small seaside resort. An extremely popular destination during the summer with 60,000 visitors and barely 4,000 residents during the winter. Despite the lack of numbers in the winter it has a very relaxed feel and the locals are very friendly. Several beach bars and restaurants have closed for the season but plenty remain open including the geleterias to satisfy the winter audience.

The resort is structured in a grid-like formation with one-way roads so we really can't get lost here as all roads lead down to the sea front that opens up to a long tree-lined promenade with a beautiful golden sandy beach. There's a cycle path (yet to be explored) together with buses that run daily to the main town of Ragusa Ibla and Ragusa Superior, 25km inland.

We have a good choice of supermarkets with the largest, a EuroSpar and two smaller discount supermarkets MD and ARD plus a weekly market selling fruit, veg, meat, cheese, fish, clothes and bric-a-brac. We've found a couple of DIY shops and 'Vela Latina' chandlers who will happily order items if not in stock.

What more could we ask for and all accessible just a short walk or bicycle ride away - we think we're going to like it here.

Siracusa to Ragusa (via Porto Palo) log

Although a week earlier than planned we feel ready to move onto Marina di Ragusa (MdiR) for the winter, to settle into a place that we can call 'home' for the next 6-7 months. We've actually reached a point where we don't want to have to check the weather forecast daily, to decide whether or not to stay or move on or to go ashore. The search for supermarkets, laundrette, fuel etc has also become exhausting and surprisingly there is only so much 'culture' and 'sightseeing' that we can do before the head becomes all fuzzy. After obtaining permission from Siracusa Harbour Master to leave we departed from the anchorage bringing quite a chunk of the seabed onboard. Each chain link was solid with mud - a really messy job this time but there's no doubt that it's very secure holding.

With 60 miles to go until we reach Marina di Ragusa we scheduled an overnight stop at Porto Palo, 30 miles along the coast as good shelter can be found behind two moles but in places the ground is reported to be foul. "Wilson" (our anchor buoy/trip line) was ready to be deployed but after a quick check of the area we managed to find a sandy spot clear of any debris so he wasn't needed after all... and no need to shout "where's Wilson" the following morning! ;-). One night at Porto Palo was enough as the swell found its way in so we departed early to find a decent wind on our beam and we were able to sit back to enjoy two hours of sailing with both the genoa and mainsail out before we ended up motoring.

The entrance to MdiR is badly silted so it was necessary for us to radio in once we neared the marina. A dory came out to meet us and provided instructions to stay as close as possible to the port-side breakwater before he guided us to our berth and assisted with the rope work.

Our blog serves as a personal record of our adventures and experiences since leaving the UK in 2012 whilst allowing family and friends to keep up-to-date with our whereabouts. [...]We hope that our blog provides some useful information for other sailors who may be planning a similar adventure to ours.

About us
Our dream to take early retirement and cruise slowly down and into the Med unexpectedly came early... 15 year's early, due to us being made redundant (we both worked for the same company). At the time we could have 'played it safe', got new employment and continued working until retirement however with the death of a grand parent, a beloved dad and friends of similar age to us being diagnosed with cancer we reconsidered our options, decided that life is too short and that we should take the risk and see where it takes us.

We've been liveaboards since 2012 and love our cruising lifestyle, the freedom and outdoor experiences are priceless but we do miss our family dearly.

About Flirtie

Flirtie is a Voyager 40, built in 1990 by Trident Marine Ltd, Portsmouth. The flagship of Trident Marine's fleet, designed by Bill Dixon. Other yachts manufactured by Trident Marine include the 'Challenger 35', 'Voyager 35', 'Warrior 40', 'Voyager 40' and 'Voyager 45'.

Flirtie is quite unique in that she has two cockpits. The one cockpit is solely for working the boat with no interuptions. Unfurling the mainsail and genoa can all be done from the safety of the cockpit.

The second cockpit (the leisure cockpit) provides plenty of room to relax and enjoy the sunshine with no ropes to tangle or trip over. Two companionways allow easy access for all and with a transom door and boarding platform there's no excuse not to go for a swim!

Below decks there is an aft cabin with ensuite, galley, chart table, chair and internal wheel for steering when the weather gets rough. Opposite the chart table is the saloon where one can lounge in comfort. Going forward there is a bunk room (our store room), heads with separate shower cubicle and a forward V-berth.

On paper she can sleep 6 in her three cabins, although we don't ever plan to test this out. Four persons aboard is enough and with anymore you would certainly feel cramped!

Our journey
We left the UK in April 2012 in 'Distant Drummer' our Heavenly Twins catamaran with the intention to slowly cruise along the western coastline of France, Spain and Portugal and into the Mediterranean.

When we reached La Rochelle, France to spend the winter we unexpectedly fell in love with another yacht, a monohull named 'Flirtie'. Her size, voluptuous lines and deck saloon seemed to tick all of the boxes on our 'dream wish list' despite not actually actively looking to change yachts. She also had two engines. By April 2013 we owned two yachts in France. It made life easy to relocate from one yacht to the other but we felt it prudent to put our travel plans on hold and focus on advertising 'Distant Drummer' whilst acquainting ourselves with 'Flirtie' by cruising around the surrounding area.

In 2014 and with 'Distant Drummer' safely tucked up in the confines of a boatyard we decided to continue our adventure aboard 'Flirtie', across Biscay to Northern Spain where we slowly explored the Spanish Ria's before heading down Portugal and onto Portimao marina in the Algarve to spend the winter.

In 2015 'Flirtie' was lifted out and given some TLC. Seacocks and stern seals were replaced and both her cutlass bearing housings were rebedded. All of the hoses to the toilets, sinks and taps were replaced as well as the cockpit drain hoses. Finally she was given a good polish and wax and three coats of antifouling. At the same time all her ground tackle was replaced with new and the anchor windlass given a good overhaul so we could sleep at night safe in that knowledge. Just as we were preparing to launch, we received news that 'Distant Drummer' was sold subject to a final viewing and survey. We flew back to France to complete the sale, launch 'Distant Drummer' and prepared her for her trip back to the UK by a delivery company. By the time we returned to Portugal and relaunched 'Flirtie' the season was well advanced so we spent the time cruising along the Portuguese coastline and neighbouring Spain, returning back to Portugal for a second winter.

In 2016 we left Portugal to resume our adventures aboard 'Flirtie' and finally entered the Mediterranean where we now plan to cruise for the next few years.